Job Description

August 22, 2025

Introduction to VAST:

In 1986, a small group of human rights activists and mental health workers gathered in Vancouver to support the flood of refugees arriving from the armed conflicts in South and Central America. They founded the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST), and this dedicated group of volunteers built what would become BC's largest center for refugee mental health. Today, VAST works with refugees from over 100 countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Our programs and services are offered in over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Farsi, French, Mandarin, and Spanish. We support the mental health of refugees who arrive in British Columbia with psychological trauma as a result of torture, political violence, and other forms of persecution on the basis of race, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation.


We facilitate the healing process for 2500 survivors of torture each year, and their families, by providing accessible and culturally appropriate individual and group counselling and therapeutic services. We also provide psycho-legal documentation and support refugee claimants through the asylum process, and are called in to work with Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada when their particular situation requires our support. Canada is a signatory to the UN's Convention Against Torture (1985), and the Refugee Convention (1951), both of which oblige us to protect the rights of survivors of forced displacement, including the Right to Rehabilitation, and to provide safe haven to those who at risk of persecution. VAST is an active member of the International Rehabilitation Council for Victims of Torture (IRCT), and the Canadian Network for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (CNSTT).


Founded on the conviction that 'healing is an act of resistance', for 40 years VAST has employed a province-leading model of trauma-informed mental health service provision. Our work has created and sustained a resilient, inclusive community amongst newcomers, and over More than half of our team identify as survivors themselves, and their voices are represented at all levels of our organization. We do not believe in working alone, and our mission supports a range of advocacy and capacity building activities to strengthen BC's mental health sector for newcomers, and encourage understanding of our work amongst government institutions. In so doing, we relieve demand on the BC healthcare sector, especially in dense urban and more isolated rural areas of BC. VAST is more than a healthcare provider and is known throughout BC as a convener of voices with lived experience of torture and trauma, and an influential advisor and trainer to multiple levels of policy makers and practitioners.

Classification & Job Title: Mental Health Services Manager (MHSM)

This job description is subject to change

Full Time Position

Rate of Pay: $35/hr.

This is position includes a comprehensive health benefits package

Job Summary:

The purpose of this role is to support VAST clients, staff, management, partners, and funders in providing high quality mental health services and supports. VAST clients have access to individual, group, community-based, and online services, delivered by the VAST Clinical team members, Community Engagement team members, as well as Management and Contractors, and many esteemed guests and academic and community partners. VAST's Individual and Group service provision and providers receive Clinical Supervision from VAST's Clinical Supervisor, with support from the Senior Expressive Arts Therapist, Executive Director, and Social Worker. The Clinical Supervisor is responsible for providing clinical supervision to clinical team members on an individual and group basis. The MHSM will support and coordinate with other team member's efforts. The MHSM will support VAST to be active in following VAST's historical best practices, guidelines, and standards, as well as those established in our sector provincially, nationally, and internationally.

Description of Typical Job Duties:

Support the hiring, onboarding, oversight, and support of clinical team members. Including but not limited to:

+ Screen, interview, select, support for clinical volunteers
+ Screen, interview, select, and provide supervision (if qualified) for practicum interns as necessary
Support the development, management, updating, and adherence to VAST's clinical processes, protocols, and systems Manage the Provincial Refugee Mental Health Coordination role, including the toll-free line, email address, and requests for training, consultation, and capacity building. Support the Management and establishment of VAST's core and associative partnerships, including contributing to launching new relationships, formalizing current relationships, with MOUs or contracts, deciding on joint projects and campaigns, policy positions, support groups, programming, referral pathways, or shared initiatives. Oversee the ethical and legal integrity of case file protocols including quality of content, counseling process and structure of client files Manage the ongoing improvement of policies, procedures and practices affecting client intake, planning, delivery and evaluation of services in consultation with the Executive Director and Clinical Supervisor and others, where applicable Establish and manage key partnerships related to Consultations, Trainings, and Advisory, with municipal, regional, provincial, international and national bodies, including the, CBSA, MAP, City of Vancouver, Province of BC, IRCC, IRCT, UNVFVT Coordinate [and provide if qualified] psycho-legal assessments and letters to lawyers for the refugee claim process Manage and maintain written and electronic client records in electronic database Coordinate workshops with the Executive Director and Clinical Supervisor, and Facilitate workshops on refugee mental health for legal, health, social, and settlement service providers Provide statistical and narrative information on the clinical program for clinical evaluation, funding applications and reports, and research Ensure that client therapeutic needs are met as best as possible and evaluated on an ongoing basis and that client files are kept up to date Assess, evaluate, and document personnel training and support needs Ensure clinical staff are trained on VAST policies and procedures regarding the law and employee responsibilities regarding mandated reporting, such as identification of clinical indicators of suspected child abuse and neglect, suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation and applicable and reportable criminal behavior To create an annual training plan and coordinate and/or deliver training to staff on identified topics through a mixture of knowledge and skills based instruction and skill building exercises, as needed, on VAST policies, procedures, and best practices, with the assistance of other team members Ensure that the most senior clinical team member or the Executive Director are available for debriefing and consultation Ensure clients are allocated to an appropriate counsellor in a timely manner Ensure smooth client referrals to appropriate internal programs and external service providers ensure that confidentiality requirements are met through record keeping and file management systems Keep records of individual consultations, team case review Oversee scheduling and documentation of supervision sessions Preparing and disseminating briefs and reports to relevant actors including policymakers, at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. Maintaining existing relationships with universities and cultivating new ones. Establishing, coordinating and maintaining student training and volunteer programs. Maintaining relationships / liaison / reporting on existing grants and conducting/coordinating research on grant projects.

Qualifications Required:

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Awareness of the Torture Rehabilitation sector and migration pathways in BC Advanced university degree in any of medicine, public health, law, psychology, psychiatry, social work, conflict studies, migration studies, sociology, anthropology Knowledge of trauma-informed and mental health best practices Knowledge of international affairs, human rights, international humanitarian law Experience in a team-based management or communications role Effective relationship building abilities Excellent written and oral communication Proven ability to communicate with formal institutions Preference will be given to candidates with lived experience Experience and knowledge of other cultures and languages is a plus
How to apply


Please send us your resume via email to hr@vastbc.ca or by using the apply button.